Before locating the Xumi Dojo, the Kunlun Realm cultivators heading deep into the island wouldn’t just be unhelpful, they’d be a burden to Zhang Ruochen.
They seemed to understand this too, so they followed the divine-demonic rat, temporarily withdrawing from the illusion array.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept around, he asked, “Where’s Zhenmiao?”
“It seems he’s gone charging into the island’s depths alone,” the Devouring Saint Flower replied.
Her feet extended numerous roots, burrowing into the corpses of the Paradise Realm Saint Kings, absorbing their nutrients.
“Shang Ziqi isn’t an ordinary cultivator, Zhenmiao can’t handle him, we need to catch up quickly. Stop feeding for now, once this battle’s over, all the nutrients will be yours.”
Zhang Ruochen unleashed a Great Spatial Shift, taking Xiao Hei, the Devouring Saint Flower, and Xie Chengzi across the void, heading straight for the island’s depths.
…
The island was vast, near its centre stood towering, rugged peaks.
These peaks bore varying degrees of damage, some blazed with roaring flames, others were cleaved in two, forming steep canyons, still others had been razed to the ground.
A massive temple radiating dazzling light sat amidst the mountains.
Xun Ya, leader of the Blood War Temple, alongside four four-winged crimson angels, wielded a wheel-shaped Great Saint ancient artifact, tearing a breach in the temple’s defences.
“Worth of its fame, the Blood War Treasure Wheel finally breached the temple.”
“Without the temple’s protective layer, those Kunlun Realm cultivators are fish on the chopping block, ripe for slaughter.”
“This battle’s finally coming to an end!”
…
Immediately, the Paradise Realm Saint Kings rushed into the temple through the gap at top speed.
Great Saint ancient artifacts varied in power.
The weakest were mere vessels used a few times by a Great Saint, imbued with a faint trace of their aura, capable of unleashing minimal Great Saint power.
But the mightiest were weapons that grew alongside a Great Saint, their natal battle companions.
Within such weapons, a self-contained space could store vast amounts of Great Saint power, even their weapon spirits could reach Great Saint level.
The Blood War Treasure Wheel Xun Ya wielded was of the latter kind.
However, upon entering the Truth Heavenly Domain, the Temple of Truth had sealed the wheel’s spirit.
Even so, the stored Great Saint power within the Blood War Treasure Wheel could still erupt with unmatched might, it was this force that tore open the temple’s rift.
Xun Ya hovered in midair, hands cradling the millstone-sized Blood War Treasure Wheel, “The Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady is impressive, controlling this temple, she blocked seventy-three strikes from the Blood War Treasure Wheel before it broke through. It cost over half the wheel’s stored Great Saint power.”
He then issued an order, “Capture the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady alive, do not kill her.”
The moment the temple was breached, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, Luo Xu, Li Xian, Wan Zhaoyi, and others within spat blood, as if struck by a heavy blow, flung backwards.
Holding out this long had been their limit.
Watching the endless stream of Paradise Realm Saint Kings pour into the temple, Li Xian’s eyes dimmed, “What a pity, the Paradise Realm’s illusion array was too strong, we couldn’t find the real Xumi Dojo and got trapped here.”
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady propped herself up slowly, “Using the Fate Compass, I can calculate the Xumi Dojo’s location, we should be very close to the real one. Unfortunately, Shang Ziqi’s planning is watertight, mobilising a quarter of their Saint Kings, leaving us no chance to turn the tide.”
“Before attacking the Xumi Dojo, didn’t we all know this was a near-certain death mission? Since we couldn’t seize that slim hope, we can only fight to our last breath, kill as many as we can.”
Wan Zhaoyi stood abruptly, a dragon’s roar echoing from within his Great Saint ancient artifact, the Azure Dragon Treasure Armour. An azure dragon shadow burst from his back, coiling around him.
He then drew the Mandate of Heaven Decree, striding boldly towards the overwhelming tide of Paradise Realm Saint Kings, radiating a fearless, heroic resolve.
Years ago, to stop the Azure Sky Blood Emperor from releasing the Nether King, Wan Zhaoyi, not yet a Saint King, had used the Mandate of Heaven Decree, sacrificing half his saint blood and a century of lifespan to clash three times with the Blood Emperor.
Though it left him gravely wounded and near death, Wan Zhaoyi never regretted it.
No matter how strong the foe, he never backed down.
Now at the Four-Step Saint King realm, he had even less reason to retreat.
Of course, he knew full well that using the Mandate of Heaven Decree again to wield power beyond his realm might cost him his life.
So what?
When retreat wasn’t an option, he could only face the challenge head-on.
“Burn my blood, wield the mandate, my fate is mine, not the heavens’.”
Saint blood surged from Wan Zhaoyi’s fingertips, flowing into the Mandate of Heaven Decree.
Instantly, deafening celestial tones rang from the decree, a majestic aura rivaling a Great Saint’s erupted, the air rippling like waves, crashing towards the Paradise Realm Saint Kings.
The Paradise Realm Saint Kings’ expressions shifted, momentarily stunned, halting in unison.
A towering man emerged from the temple, an azure dragon coiled around him, the decree atop his head, his eyes blazing with azure light, resembling a world-shaking god or demon.
“He’s…”
“How does the Kunlun Realm still have such a fearsome powerhouse, his aura’s too terrifying.”
“It’s just his aura that’s strong, he might be bluffing, everyone attack together, tear him apart.”
The Paradise Realm kings unleashed an array of saint weapons and techniques, forming massive orbs of light, all aimed at Wan Zhaoyi.
Each of them was formidable, their combined assault capable of annihilating a small world.
“Roar!”
Wan Zhaoyi roared skyward, the Mandate of Heaven Decree releasing a vast surge of Great Saint power, bolstering him.
His legs sank, arms spread, instantly halting the incoming saint weapons and techniques, then sending them flying back towards the Paradise Realm Saint Kings.
“Bang bang.”
Over a hundred Saint King realm powerhouses were thrown into chaos, some One-Step Saint Kings even suffering severe injuries.
“Who is this man, a young war god nurtured by the Kunlun Realm?”
“Retreat, don’t engage him, let Lord Xun Ya use the Blood War Treasure Wheel to suppress him…”
A Five-Step Saint King dragon clan cultivator shouted, but the next moment, he froze as Wan Zhaoyi appeared before him.
“Bang.”
Wan Zhaoyi punched through the dragon cultivator’s chest, snapping his spine, saint blood spraying from his back.
He pressed on, moving with dragon-like strides, his speed blinding, every punch felling a Saint King.
In mere breaths, over a dozen Paradise Realm Saint Kings were torn apart.
The surrounding Paradise Realm cultivators paled, retreating in terror.
This man was ferocious, his aura like a sky-coiling dragon, his strength capable of shattering stars.
A Six-Step Saint King unleashed a talisman at Wan Zhaoyi, erupting with power that could slay a Seven-Step Saint King.
Taking the hit, Wan Zhaoyi’s body sprouted countless wounds.
Yet little saint blood flowed, half his blood had already poured into the Mandate of Heaven Decree, leaving him with none to spare.
As if numb to pain, Wan Zhaoyi charged forth, striking with the eleventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, reducing the Six-Step Saint King to a mist of blood.
Watching Wan Zhaoyi dominate, the Kunlun Realm cultivators in the temple were exhilarated, their blood boiling.
“Worth of ranking first on the *Heroic Ode* of the Central Region’s Nine Provinces, Wan Zhaoyi, reigning in an era, his combat power is boundless.”
“They mocked us, now they see, the Kunlun Realm has heroes who can slaughter them like pigs and dogs.”
…
Only the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady showed no joy, her face tinged with sorrow.
She knew that last time, when Wan Zhaoyi burned half his saint blood and much of his lifespan to face the Azure Sky Blood Emperor, he survived, but the Empress had warned him that doing so again would mean death.
In other words, every punch he threw now drained his life.
He was trading life for life!
She didn’t stop him, it was his choice, and even if she tried, she couldn’t. A proud man like Wan Zhaoyi would rather expend his last drop of blood, his final breath, than fall into the Paradise Realm’s hands and die in disgrace.
“Zhang Ruochen, why haven’t you come?”
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady believed Zhang Ruochen would arrive, he was the Kunlun Realm’s last lifeline.
If he didn’t, she might have to take the same path as Wan Zhaoyi, using forbidden techniques to fight to the death here.
Shang Ziqi stood above the temple, hands behind his back, watching Wan Zhaoyi’s rampage, nodding in approval, “This man has some of the heroic spirit of the Kunlun Realm’s ancient sages, thankfully he hasn’t fully matured, or we’d have another formidable foe.”
“The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, yet it nears dusk. Just a final brilliance, he’s already a dead man, sustained only by unyielding will and fierce battle intent, I’ll send him off.”
Xun Ya, wielding the Blood War Treasure Wheel, charged into the temple, swinging the millstone-sized crimson wheel with one arm, unleashing wild Great Saint power towards Wan Zhaoyi.
At Wan Zhaoyi’s feet lay the severed limbs of Saint Kings, dozens of Paradise Realm foes fallen to his fists and palms.
Sensing that ferocious Great Saint power, Wan Zhaoyi looked up.
Beneath disheveled, blood-soaked hair, his face was gaunt and skeletal, a stark contrast to his earlier war-god-like vigor. Closer inspection revealed his hair had turned white, only dyed red by blood, obscuring it slightly.
“Bring it on, fight!”
Wan Zhaoyi knew he was nearly spent, yet he forced a sharp gleam into his eyes.
His fading battle intent flared once more.
“Roar!”
“Trumpet!”
Dragon’s cry from his left arm, elephant’s bellow from his right.
Wan Zhaoyi unleashed the eleventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, both hands striking simultaneously, clashing against the massive Blood War Treasure Wheel.
“Bang.”
The wheel and Xun Ya were blasted back.
Xun Ya’s expression shifted in shock, he steadied the wheel, but Wan Zhaoyi pursued, hammering palm after palm, sending Xun Ya crashing to the ground.
“Boom!”
“Rumble!”
…
Wan Zhaoyi stood atop the Blood War Treasure Wheel, pinning Xun Ya, striking downward relentlessly.
With each blow, Xun Ya spat blood.
After sixteen palms, Xun Ya’s organs shattered, the Blood War Treasure Wheel embedded in his flesh.
Just as Xun Ya thought he’d die here, the once-ferocious Wan Zhaoyi suddenly froze, standing motionless on the wheel.
He had already perished.
The air carried only the howl of cold wind, white hair dripping with blood.
